


Playing with Fire

by TalkLokiToMe



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Agentsofshield - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Infinity Stones, Inhumans (Marvel), It's a really slow burn, Loki - Freeform, Loki Falls In Love, Loki smut, Sexy Stuff Comes Later, loki romance, lokixofc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-02 10:26:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14542707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalkLokiToMe/pseuds/TalkLokiToMe
Summary: Sera is driven by two things: a need to help others and a need for adventure. Luckily, working in the ER provides enough excitement and life saving to fulfill her needs...mostly. Ever since going through terrigenesis, she has a hard time feeling truly satisfied, until one day when she gets invited to meet with the Avengers and their mysterious new ally, Loki. Offered new opportunities to test and strengthen her powers, this could be just what she needs, but she is afraid. Only she knows the truth of what her powers can do, and what they can cost. Much to her surprise, it's Loki who finds a way to help her unlock her true potential, but as her affection for him grows she can't help but wonder, does he see her more than just a weapon he can wield?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an Avengers/Agents of SHIELD AU involving inhumans, based on their cannon in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It takes place right before Age of Ultron. In this AU, Loki was wounded on Svartalfheim but Heimdall saw him and was able to bring him back to Asgard while Thor was on Earth dealing with Malekith. After revealing what he knows of Thanos’ plans for the infinity stones, Odin sends Loki to Earth with Thor as a chance to earn redemption. There he learns Tony has not been dealing well with the aftermath of NY, obsessed with the next cataclysmic event. Tony has been attempting to recruit inhumans to help turn the tide in their favor, and that’s where this story unfolds.

Prologue 

The picture quality wasn’t great and there was no sound. On the screen, two teenage girls walked along the pier, heads together, looking at something on one of their phones. The moonlight glinted dully on the water, the intervals of lamp light creating an inconsistent measure of visibility. They didn’t see the two men walking swiftly behind them.

“Can’t you do anything to make the picture clearer?” Natasha asked.

“I did the best I could, this was captured on a city camera--not the best tech,” Tony answered. “Just keep watching.” He leaned in, eyes focused, as the two men accosted the girls.

Behind Tony, Natasha and Steve leaned in as well. A second monitor on the desk showed the feed from a different camera, apparently somewhere else along the pier. The scene was still and empty.

“Okay, there she is!” Tony said, pointing to the second monitor as a woman in leggings and a hoodie jogged past the camera.

On the first screen, the men had taken the girls’ phones and drawn guns. Though there was no sound coming from the screen, the girls were clearly crying as they hung on to each other. The men dragged the two girls apart and one of them fell on the ground.

Tony, Natasha, and Steve all leaned in a little more, brows furrowed, as the view of the struggling pair was slightly obscured by the branches of a tree planted decoratively in a square casing in the middle of the pier’s wooden planks.

The jogger from the other screen appeared, stopping abruptly and pulling headphones out of her ears. The men turned their guns on her, clearly yelling. She lifted her hands in the air, slowly. The men were shouting, gesturing to her with their guns but she didn’t move.

The guns were abruptly knocked out of the men’s hands, skittering away on the wooden planks. They looked around, confused only for a moment before diving for the guns again. Before they could reach them, the woman reached both hands toward them and water shot over the side of the pier with the force of a fire hose, knocking each of the men flat on their back, pinning them as they gasped and struggled.

The two girls had crawled to each other and were backing away, horror clear on their faces. The small square of dirt around the tree erupted as roots broke through the surface and grabbed each man, pulling them back to the trunk and winding tightly around their bodies, pinning their arms to their sides.

The woman stepped forward, speaking to the men. One of them shouted back, rage on his face, and spat at her. With an almost lazy wave of her arm, a ball of water rose out of the water behind her and flew to the man, surrounding his head. His body jerked and twitched, but the woman did not raise her arm to stop it. The second man started yelling, apparently in fear. She turned her head towards him and he stopped speaking immediately. She lowered her hand and the water fell to the ground with a splash.

She stepped right in front of the men and crouched down. This time, they did not speak, but continued to look at her warily.

Stepping away from them, the woman walked over toward the two girls, who jumped and started, cowering in fear. The woman stopped, putting her hands up.

“I wish we could see her face, maybe get an idea of what she’s saying,” Steve said. Natasha nodded her agreement.

The woman had approached the girls, seeming to check over each one. She felt their faces and took their pulse. The girls were nodding and shaking their heads in response to whatever the woman was saying. One of the girls pointed back at the men. The woman got up and turned, walking back toward them.

Tony, Natasha, and Steve leaned in once more, finally able to see her face. But the camera footage twitched and warped at this moment, making it impossible to determine any specifics.

The woman reached down towards one of the men and pulled the two phones out of his pocket, returning them to the girls. One dialed on the phone and put it to her ear. The woman patted both of the girls’ shoulders for a few moments, continuing to speak to them. she stood up, glancing over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to the girls and helping them up. With one final, reassuring squeeze on both of their shoulders, the woman put her hood up over her head, and continued her run down the pier and out of sight. A few seconds later, flashing lights danced their way across the scene, and police ran into the camera’s view, guns drawn.

Tony stopped the video. He swiveled his chair, spinning to look at the other two, and leaned back with his hands behind his head. “I want one,” he said.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

“Tony, we don’t even know who she is,” Steve said.

“I’m working on it. There have been other similar reports around the city, spanning back two years, but with increasing frequency.”

“She’s getting more active, more involved,” Natasha said, a statement rather than a question.

“This is what we need. More of this!” Tony said, turning back to the screen. He pressed some keys and the video rewound to the men pointing their guns at the woman. He played it back in slow motion. This time, before they lost their guns, movement could be seen in the dirt around the little tree. Something shot from the earth towards the men, knocking the guns from their hands.

“What was that?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out” Tony said. He leaned in closer, half of the woman’s face visible as he paused the video. “Who are you?”


	2. An Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First official chapter as the previous was a prologue.  
> An introduction to our heroine, and an invitation from the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some mentions of drug use and medical descriptions of injuries.

The doors to the ER burst open as the EMTs rushed in with victims on gurneys.

“What’ve we got?” Sera asked, grabbing the metal bars on one side of the woman’s limp form and directing the cart around a privacy screen.

“Car crash. Two females, one male, all unconscious at the scene. Multiple lacerations to the face, arms and torso, possible concussion on the male,” the medic replied. “Looks like this one also has possible rib fractures,” he added.

Sera began examining that patient quickly, gloved hands gently touching the patient and moving her shirt to better examine her ribs. She began hooking the woman up to heart rate and oxygen monitors while the EMTs transitioned her onto the bed.

“Sera, what do you need?” asked another nurse.

“Nothing, I’m good here. Take the other female. I’m going to page Dr. Patel.”

Moving around to the other side of the bed, Sera looked around to make sure no one was watching. She grabbed the unconscious woman’s wrist on the pretense of checking her pulse. She slid her pinky finger back and forth until her skin made contact with the woman’s through the small cut she had made in the latex. As soon as the flesh on her finger touched the woman’s skin, she was jolted with sensations. She closed her eyes for just a moment, focusing, reading the woman’s body and what was happening inside.

Her head snapped up just as a doctor walked in.

“I was just going to page you.”

“Martinez, what’s the status?” Dr. Patel asked.

Sera reported what the EMTs told her as well as the information she had gathered from the monitors and her own exam.

“And there’s something else,” Sera said, leaning discreetly toward the other woman so no one else could hear. “She’s pregnant. Likely very early.”

Dr. Patel’s eyes widened. “Good work, Martinez. Get me an OR. You’re with me.”

Anaya Patel was the only person at the hospital who knew about Sera’s…abilities. Since she found out, she took a special interest in working with Sera who was able to detect things machines could not. They made a good team and Sera appreciated the mentoring she received from Dr. Patel.

“Got it,” Sera nodded and resumed her work prepping the patient.

Around her, the ER was a flurry of movement and color. Blue gloved hands gestured, pointed, and reached. Voices shouted instructions, called out codes and numbers, and asked questions. Sera loved it. Adrenaline pumping through her, she worked quickly, her hands seeming to move separately from her with a mind of their own as they hooked the patient up to yet more tubes, put information in the computer, and grabbed supplies. She was just asking an orderly to help her begin moving the patient to the OR when there was commotion behind the screen across from hers.

Machines flared to life with beeps and alarms. Nurses shouted and a doctor was called. Without hesitating, Sera rushed over, pushing the curtain aside. The male crash victim was writhing on the bed, his back arched, muscles spasming down his body, eyes rolling back in his head.

Sera pushed her way to the top of the bed and got a small light out of the pocket of her scrubs. Holding it over the man’s face to look in his eyes with one hand, her other hand reached over the top of his head so her fingers and thumb were braced on each temple. She wiggled her pinky finger again until the latex of her glove slid out of the way and she made skin-on-skin contact.

“Was this man one of the drivers?” she called out?

“No he was a passenger, why?” someone answered.

“Good. Because he’s high--heroin. Someone grab the Narcan, he’s ODing.”

The other nurses knew by now not to question Sera’s unusual methods. Her ‘intuition,’ as they called it, was uncannily accurate. Another doctor came around the curtain at that time and took over the situation as Sera went back to her original patient to meet Dr. Patel in the OR.

***

Hours later, Sera was packing up her things in the staff locker room at the end of her shift. She was pleasantly tired from her busy day, her mind still on her patients, when another nurse walked in.

“Hey Sera.”

“Hey Mel, how’s it going?”

“Good, you done for the day?”

“Yeah I’m heading out.”

“Ugh, lucky,” Mel said with a pout. “Are you doing your volunteer stuff at the Women’s Center tonight?”

“No, that’s usually on Mondays, if I’m off. Tonight I have my…” she hesitated for a brief moment, “my support group.”

“Oh, that’s right. Well good. Are you on tomorrow?”

“No, I’m off until Monday, then night shift.”

“Oh, bummer.”

“No, it’s okay, I don’t mind it,” Sera said. She grabbed her backpack. “See ya later, Mel.”

“Have a good one!” Mel called back as Sera left the room.

Sera was nearly at the doors to leave the hospital when she was stopped once more by woman in a blazer and pencil skirt. “Seraphina Martinez?” she asked. Her dark red hair was curly and just brushed the top of her shoulders, and though her voice was soft, Sera thought there was a keen, calculating look in her eyes, as the woman gave her a once over and then scanned the room before looking back at her face.

“It’s just Sera. Can I help you?” Sera took a closer look at the woman. She looked familiar somehow, though Sera couldn’t quite connect her face with any specific memory.

“My name is Natasha Romanov. I’m with S.H.I.E.L.D. That’s the Strategic…”

“I know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is,” Sera said, cutting her off. “I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. was gone? Everything that happened in DC…?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently operating on a more covert level than before. We would appreciate your discretion.”

“Right…so…” Sera didn’t really know what to say, so she just raised her eyebrows questioningly at the woman, waiting for her to finish.

“We were hoping to schedule a meeting with you. We would like to talk to you about some events that have taken place in the city.”

Sera’s face was impassive and she quickly resisted the urge to swallow nervously. She knows. She knows what I’ve done…what I can do.

Working to put a mildly curious expression on her face Sera said, “Oh? What kind of events?”

“It’s best if we don’t discuss this here. Can you come to this address tomorrow at 2:00pm?” She pulled out a card. “You don’t work again until Monday.” It wasn’t a question.

Sera let out a huff of air and raised an eyebrow as she answered. “That is correct, I don’t work again until Monday.” She didn’t ask how the woman knew that. Well, she’s not the only one who can do research.

“I’m not really sure I’m interested in getting involved. The whole Hydra thing…kinda off-putting.”

“I understand that, Ms. Martinez, but it’s not just S.H.I.E.L.D. that is calling this meeting. This is an Avengers-led initiative.”

That’s where Sera knew this woman from—she had seen footage of her fighting with the Avengers. This only made Sera feel more conflicted. She knew that the Avengers had saved her city, and potentially the world during the alien invasion nearly 4 years ago. But she also knew that they left a lot of destruction in their wake. And while the Avengers Tower was right in NYC, these “heroes” didn’t bother themselves with the day-to-day crime or life-saving actions that were so needed.

Sensing her hesitancy, the woman added, “Ms. Martinez, we have some additional information about your brother’s death that we would also like to discuss with you, information that was not included in the police investigation.”

Sera looked at the woman sharply, her eyes narrowing. It was as if the woman knew just what to say so that Sera couldn’t refuse. A card with an address was extended, and Sera took it. She nodded at the woman politely and then walked out of the hospital.

When she was a block away, she looked around to make sure the woman hadn’t followed her, and took out her phone.

It rang once before a voice said, “yes.”

“Hey it’s me. We need to meet. I need information on the Avengers. It’s going to be hard to get.”

“Do you doubt me?”

“No, just warning you.”

“You’re supposed to meet the others tonight at 10.”

“I know. Can I come over now?”

A pause. “See you soon”

Sera put her phone back in her pocket, a slight smile on her lips as she headed down into the subway to catch her train.


	3. Mortals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki enters the story and we find out about his return to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I redid the chapter titles :)

Loki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. _Will they ever stop bickering?_ he thought. It had been like this ever since he and Thor had arrived a few months ago. There was growing tension between Stark and the Captain (what was his name? Rodgers?) ever since the latter moved back to the tower from the national capital. It seemed that the two couldn’t agree on what exactly their role should be in their defense of Midgard. Rodgers seemed to want to take on known problems directly. Stark agreed with this, but also wanted more. He wanted to take a more preventative approach, which Rodgers felt may infringe on certain freedoms…on and on they went.

At first Loki found their petty quarrels surprisingly entertaining. That and the news of the S.H.I.E.L.D catastrophe afforded him a better “welcome” than he possibly could have anticipated. He turned his head away from the group to look out the window so they couldn’t see him smirking at the memory.

His and Thor’s return was the predictable mixed-bag he thought it would be. Heimdell had sent them near the tower but somewhere more discreet so the Midgardians wouldn’t notice their sudden appearance. When they landed behind the building, Loki shifted his appearance to a random and forgettable looking Midgardian, clothes and all. He had taken one step when Thor put a hand to his chest, stopping him.

“Loki, you realize what’s at stake here?”

“I believe that’s apparent considering how _you_ came to know what’s at stake here.”

“They may not see your…cooperation as redemption.”

“Do you?” Loki asked, raising an eyebrow.

Thor hesitated. “I think you were not yourself before. I think he got the better of you.”

Loki recoiled at these words, his stomach churning with the unwanted flash of memories in his mind. He attempted to step around Thor.

“But,” Thor continued, stopping Loki again, “I do not take for granted what you were and are capable of.”

“As well you shouldn’t—”

“Loki, please. Just wait to reveal yourself until I’ve had a chance to explain everything to them.”

“They still won’t trust me, what difference does it make?”

“Just stick to the plan, and everything will be fine.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Well, who can argue with that logic? Lead the way, brother.”

Thor strolled right past the security guards at the door, leaving them looking comically flustered, as he approached the woman behind the large reception desk.

“Hello my lady. I would like to request an audience with Mr. Stark.” Thor finished by giving the woman a toothy smile and a wink. Immediately her cheeks flushed as she stumbled to her feet and Loki had to refrain from rolling his eyes a second time.

“You…you’re…oh my god, it’s you. You’re—”

“Yes, I’m Thor. And what is your name?” he asked, reaching for her hand.

“A-Anna” she stuttered.

“What a beautiful name. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anna.” Thor purred, kissing her hand.

The woman giggled, bringing her other hand to her flaming cheek.

“So…Mr. Stark…”

“Right! Yes, of course.” She picked up the phone speaking into it for a moment.

“Um, I’m sorry, um, Thor” she stuttered, flushing again, “is he with you?” she nodded in Loki’s direction.

“Yes. He’s a friend” Thor said simply.

After speaking on the phone for a few more moments, Loki and Thor were going up the elevator to the penthouse at the top of the tower. They stepped out into the open living space which Loki noticed had changed considerably since he was last here. The memory of it made him feel strange, like he was remembering a story he had been told so many times it felt like he had lived it, rather than the memory actually being his own.

Stark came around the corner at that moment. “Point Break, what a surprise. I thought you just came to Earth to fight aliens and destroy other major cities on your own now.”

“Stark” Thor nodded by way of greeting. “There wasn’t time for a reunion. But we have much to discuss now. Where are the others? Captain Rodgers? Dr. Banner?”

Loki shifted uncomfortably. Stark seemed to notice him for the first time. “Who’s this?”

“He’s here to help. I’ll explain everything but we need to get the team together. Midgard is in danger.”

“Yeah, that seems to be a recurring theme lately. Okay, I’ll rally the troops.”

For the next hour, Loki had to endure a sickening display of friendly reunion between “Earth’s mightiest heroes,” followed by Thor unable to resist telling a long-winded account of his last visit to Earth defeating Malekith.

“So, Loki’s dead then?” Natasha asked.

“No, actually. Hiemdell was able to bring him back to Asgard. When I returned he was back in imprisonment.”

“Just where the psycho belongs. So what’s the news?” Stark asked.

Thor hesitated, glancing at Loki briefly.

“Actually, it’s thanks to Loki that I am here.” Eyebrows lifted around the room as apprehensive glances were exchanged. “When I returned to Asgard I visited Loki in his cell. He had been badly injured and was still recovering and he revealed to me more of what lead to his last visit to Earth.”

“You’re not going to tell me he was really trying to save us by taking over are you? Because I’ve heard that one before,” said Steve.

“He meant to rule Earth, but only because he was being manipulated. There was, there _is_ , a bigger plan in motion.”

“A bigger plan of his?” asked Bruce, speaking up for the first time.

“No. Of Thanos. He is after infinity stones.”

When this pronouncement was followed by silence, Loki huffed irritably and Thor rushed to explain further.

“When Maliketh went after the aether, Loki realized what was beginning. Thanos had the mind stone and wanted Loki to bring him the tesseract, then the aether is active for the first time in thousands of years, and then the Nova Corps gained possession of the power stone--”

“Who--?”

“The point is,” Thor continued, “across the galaxy, the most powerful objects in existence are suddenly making themselves known, and we know at least one...person, who is after them. The mind stone at least is still on Earth which means--”

“He’s going to come here. Eventually.” Natasha said.

Thor nodded. “My father knows of Thanos and he can destroy Earth even without these stones. If he were to actually achieve his goal...that’s why he sent us here.”

“Us?” said Clint.

“Oh, right.” Thor looked at Loki, nodding. This time Loki really did roll his eyes before shifting back into his normal appearance.

Natasha had a gun drawn on him before his clothes had fully appeared. Steve grabbed his shield as Tony flicked his wrist and armor started flying toward him from up the stairs.

Loki didn’t flinch, expecting this, but Thor moved between them. “Wait, please, Loki is here to help. It is only because of his warning that we have time to prepare at all.”

“And we’re just supposed to believe that he is suddenly on our side?” Natasha asked, staring unblinkingly at Loki over Thor’s shoulder.

“You don’t need to believe anything except that I have my own reasons for not wanting Thanos to succeed in his goals,” Loki said.

“That’s not helping,” Thor said, turning back to the others. “Trust me, my father would not have allowed him to return to Earth, or even leave his cell if there was not merit to Loki’s information. We are to help Earth prepare for what’s to come. Loki will earn his freedom in exchange.”

“And what’s to stop him from turning on us or disappearing now that he’s not locked up?” Steve asked.

“He cannot disappear. Our father sent him here with certain limitations. He will still be able to help us.”

Steve lowered his shield and stepped toward Thor, looking him right in the eye. “Do you trust him?”

“Loki will do everything in his power to help us defeat Thanos.”

After that, Loki had to endure weeks of guns being drawn on him in every room he walked into. Surprisingly, it was his work with Dr. Banner that seemed to finally give the team some small belief that he was actually trying to help. His knowledge of the mind stone allowed him and the doctor to begin working on a device meant to find any other infinity stones that may be hidden on Earth. The incompetent morons at S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t even keep his the scepter with the mind stone safe, so they had to start by recovering it. Much to Loki’s annoyance, everyone was surprised by his sophisticated knowledge of science.

 _Mortals_ , Loki thought, shaking his head. They never ceased to overestimate their own accomplishments.

And that brought Loki to the present, sitting in the conference room staring out the window while Stark and Rogers argued yet again. Today they were arguing about some girl with abilities that Stark wanted to bring in.

“We can’t just pull civilians off the street just because they do something you find interesting, Tony. If she wanted to defend this country, she could enlist in the army.”

“Not everyone’s ambition is to be a soldier, Cap. And besides, she obviously does want to help others, you saw the footage. She could be one of these Inhumans, she could lead us to others, who--”

“What, now she’s bait? Or you think she’s just going to turn her friends over to us? If they wanted to be found, they would be. They deserve their privacy.”

“I get that, but if they have abilities that could help us--see that’s the beauty of these Inhumans! We have no idea what their powers could be. The amount of variations is endless, that could give us the advantage we need here.”

“But see, you just said it, ‘ _we have no idea what their powers could be_ ,’ which is exactly right. Remember the last one?”

“Okay, so that girl was nuts. That had nothing to do with her powers.”

“And the guy before that?”

“Well, alright, so maybe he didn’t have the best disposition for life-threatening situations. We did better research this time. This girl is a nurse, Cap. She volunteers at the Women’s Center downtown giving self-defense lessons. Does she sound like the kinda person that’s going to start using her powers to rob banks and take over the world? No offense, Reindeer Games.”

“For the record, I never robbed any banks,” Loki replied.

“Fine,” said Steve. “We ask her to come. We talk to her and explain why we asked her here. We run a pilot putting her through training. We ALL agree whether or not she, and her abilities, are an asset to the team. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Tony said, giving a salute and walking towards the door. “She’ll be here at 2:00pm tomorrow.”

“What? How do you know?”

“Natasha’s talking to her now.” Tony said and walked out.

Steve took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “You’ve been awfully quiet, Thor. What do you think about all this?”

“I think it can’t hurt to see what this girl can do. Too be honest...we need all the help we can get.” He also walked toward the door. “I’ll be in the training facilities.”

Steve sighed. “He’s right you know,” Loki said, standing up. “I have seen only a sample of what Earth is facing. We aren’t enough. If these...Inhumans, as you call them, can bring something to the table, you should let them.” With that, he left Steve alone with his thoughts while he walked back down to his room.

If nothing else, tomorrow should be entertaining for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Loki chapter up next :-)
> 
> Also, you can find me on Tumblr: @cuteandnerdythings


	4. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sera's meeting with the Avengers doesn't exactly go according to plan...well it goes according to Tony's plan, but no one else's. Loki's intrigued.

The whole team was gathered and Loki was back in his seat by the window watching as the young woman, led by Natasha, entered the conference room. Her dark black hair was pulled into a single long braid down her back. She hadn’t dressed up for the occasion, which Loki liked for some reason, imagining it might offend Stark’s ego on some level, and she wore simple Midgardian clothes: flat black boots, jeans, and a dark sweater with a leather jacket. She glanced around the room only once before sitting, her face expressionless, something Loki noted as odd, considering that the other two candidates had been nauseatingly eager to be in such company.

Stark wasted no time getting started. “Seraphina, it’s great to meet you. Thanks for coming--”

“It’s Sera.”

“I’m sorry, Sarah?”

“No. Sera. Like error, but with an S and an A.”

“Uh, right, okay then. SEH-RA, thanks for coming in. As you probably know, I’m Tony Stark, and these are--”

“I know who you are,” she said, cutting him off for a second time. “I see the news like everyone else.”

Loki smirked. This was going to be good.

“Right,” Tony said, giving her an overly friendly and not at all convincing smile. “Then you also know our job is to protect the world from major threats. We called you in because we think maybe you can help us.”

Sera didn’t respond but continued to stare politely at Tony, waiting for him to continue.

“You know, because of your abilities,” he added.

Her eyebrows raised only slightly at this. “My abilities?”

Loki looked at Sera more closely. Something odd was going on. She was clearly trying to play it cool, and doing pretty well...from the shoulders up. Underneath the table, however, was a different story. While her face remained impassive, her feet tapped incessantly, her hands fidgeting and twisting the end of her sweater.

“Okay, let’s just dive right in shall we?” said Stark with a sigh, opening a folder in front of him. “Seraphina Martinez, nurse at Hudson City Hospital. Graduate of Fordham University, daughter of George and Melody Martinez, sister of Mary and Gabriel, the latter recently deceased. Volunteer at the Women’s Center. Suspected inhuman with the nickname, “El.”

Loki noticed that Sera had stopped moving completely, the only tell she gave that any of this pronouncement had affected her.

After a pause in which Stark looked unreservedly smug, she said, “I see you did your research.”

“Always do. How long have you had your Inhuman powers?”

“About 5 years.”

“And how did you get them?”

She gave a small sideways smile at this. “Terragenesis,” she said as though to a child.

“Well, obviously. But how?”

“That’s a story for another time.”

Surprisingly, Tony didn’t push this point. “So why don’t you tell us more about your abilities?”

“Why don’t you tell me, since you probably already know?”

Steve chuckled, giving Tony a “she’s-got-you-pegged” look.

“Nature or organic matter manipulation? We’ve heard some rumors and seen some footage of you manipulating water and trees.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“Do you do any training or practice? I understand it can be a challenge for Inhumans to stabilize and gain control of their powers at first.”

“I do...work on it,” she said with some hesitation.

“Is that where you disappeared to last night?”

For the first time, Loki saw some emotion flicker across her face. She didn’t respond.

Steve was frowning at this and looking at Banner, some wordless communication happening between them.

Tony continued, “because you know, we’re professionals. We can offer you training and resources that would totally blow any back-alley street fighting out of the water.”

“Back-alley street fighting?”

“Or whatever it is--whatever you want to call it. It doesn’t matter. What I’m trying to say is...we are looking to add talented, enhanced individuals to the roster here. We want to make sure we are prepared next time.”

“Next time?”

“Sera,” Steve said before Tony could continue. “I’m sorry this is all very abrupt. We have reason to believe that what happened in NY might not be the last situation like that. When we see someone with potential to help save more lives, to protect more people, we have to at least explore that option.”

He had said the right thing. Sera’s shoulders relaxed slightly at these words and she nodded. “I understand. I’m sure I would do the same thing. So what are you asking me, exactly?”

Natasha stepped in now, once again speaking before Tony had the chance. Loki grinned. “Just a trial period. Train with us. Let us learn from each other. Show us what you can do.”

“I could...consider that,” she said.

“Okay great,” Tony said, unable to contain himself. “What about other Inhumans? Do you have any pals that could--”

“No,” she said sharply, giving Tony a piercing look. “Inhumans aren’t popular in the public eye right now. Most want to lay low. I will not be part of this if it is your mission to hunt them down or smoke them out of hiding.”

There was no compromise in her voice whatsoever. What with that and the way she kept interrupting Stark, Loki decided he liked this woman.

“Okay, okay, point taken,” Tony said with his hands up after an additional glare from Steve. “But I did want to ask one other thing. You said you got your powers 5 years ago. Was that before or after you were in that dormitory fire?”

Sera stood up abruptly, knocking her chair out from behind her. It fell with a crash, startling Clint out of his afternoon nap with a jolt. Loki noticed that Sera’s hands flexed once before balling into fists at the same time the papers on the table fluttered and his hair blew back from his face.

“I’m not discussing that. I was told you had information about my brother’s death. That doesn’t seem to be the case. I think it’s best if I leave. Thank you for your time,” she said, even though they had been the ones to ask her here. She started walking toward the door.

“Your brother was killed in an area of the city known for illegal trade in alien tech left-over from the Battle of New York,” Natasha said.

Sera stopped and stood facing the door and Loki leaned forward, his interest peaked. This was news to him. Leftover Chituri tech? Illegal trade? Well...leave it to humans to profit off of anything. But he was curious…

“That’s not...that doesn’t make any sense,” she said, turning back to the table.

“Do you know any reason why he might have been involved in that kind of trade?” Tony asked.

“No,” she said, with complete sincerity. “After NY...he was different. He wanted to help people, but…” she trailed off and her eyes drifted to Loki for the first time. He was waiting for the outburst, the accusations, the demands for answers. They didn’t come. He realized she had recognized him right away, knew who he was the whole time. It occurred to him that she was actually waiting for him to speak, to say something. What, to apologize? Explain?

The rest of the room noticed this odd stare-down too, Sera’s silence confusing them as they stared between the two, also waiting for an outburst that never came.

“I should go,” she said.

“But you will still do the trial? Go through training?” Tony called, standing up to follow her out the door.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea”

Surprisingly, Tony switched tactics, giving a strange look to Natasha who disappeared. “Okay well then let me at least walk you out.”

Loki, Thor, Bruce, Steve, and Clint all looked at one another, puzzled by this odd behavior. All at once they got up to follow Tony.

***

“I’ve arranged to have one of my cars take you home,” Tony said as they reached the garage level.

“That’s really not necessary.”

“It’s the least I could do. A small thank-you for taking the time to come talk with us today. We just have to go down to the parking garage. It’s below the main level.”

Sera turned to look behind her to see Loki and the rest of the team a few paces back.

“Wow, you guys really do everything together, huh?”

“Um, not exactly everything.”

Stark opened the door and beckoned Sera through, then let Clint pass, before stepping back inside the hall. He stopped the others. “Hold up guys. If you could just step over here for a second?” he said, gesturing to the small chauffeur's office.

“What’s going on?”

“Just a sec, Cap. I thought about what you said. About the last two that didn’t turn out so well. So I devised a little test, just a small one, to make sure she’s got what we’re looking for. Nat and Clint are just helping out.”

“Hang on...these aren’t your cars,” Steve said, looking through the two-way glass into the parking area, where half a dozen cars stood shining under the fluorescent lights.

“Please,” Tony said with an eye-roll.

The sound of gunfire ripped through the air, and Loki felt Banner jump beside him. Stepping away slightly, Loki watched Natasha pull out her gun and begin firing across the deck at a few men in black combat gear. But something wasn’t right. Natasha’s shots were way off, clearly hitting the cement walls behind them, as were the men’s bullets on her side. She gestured for Sera to duck behind the nearest car, which they did together.

Clint had taken cover behind a different car and was lazily shooting arrows into a cement column at the back of the garage.

_It’s a ruse_ , Loki thought, meant to make this Sera woman think they are under fire. He watched as the momentary panic of her surprise faded from her eyes, a look of determination replacing it. She knelt behind the car and pressed her palms into the cement and closed her eyes.

The building began to shake.

“Stark,” Steve said in warning.

“Just wait. Give it a sec.”

Columns of asphalt and earth broke through the cement floor of the garage, twisting into a wall to form a shield around the car Sera and Natasha hid behind.

Natasha turned to Sera. “That’s you?”

She nodded.

“Not bad.” With that, she ducked around the car behind the newly formed wall to get better “aim” at the attackers. And though Loki was sure that no bullet hit her, she suddenly fell back, grasping her shoulder as blood leaked through her fingers.

Tony spoke before Steve could say anything. “It’s fake. We need to see how she handles a crisis.”

“We already know she’s an ER nurse. She wrecked your garage and for all we know she could take the building down. That’s enough.”

Out in the garage, Sera had crawled over to Natasha, feeling her head with her palm. Still crouching over her, she gave Natasha a puzzled look.

“You aren’t hurt.” She pulled at Natasha’s sleeve with her other hand and the fake blood packet was exposed. “What’s going on here?”

“It’s nothing. Just a test. We do this for everyone.”

“And now you’re lying. This is really--”

But before she could finish her sentence, one of the bullets clearly aiming for anything but human targets, found another mark. The gas tank of the car Clint was crouching behind erupted in flames.

Sera froze and Loki watched transfixed as she closed her eyes, for one second a look of utter fear and agony crossing her face, before her body rolled in unmistakable pleasure. As she stood the fire from the car exploded into the air, soaring over her head to find the next car. Her arms waved and the fire danced again, leaping from car to car like she was a ringmaster directing her circus animals to do tricks for a crowd.

When she turned her attention toward the window, Loki was the first to duck, pulling Thor down with him. The fireball exploded above him, shattered glass falling around them like an icy rain as the desk caught fire.

“Tony!” Steve yelled, though they were both running out into the garage now.

They called to Sera, but she seemed beyond hearing them. He wasn’t sure why, but some intuition was telling Loki that Sera wasn’t really in control, despite the evidence to the contrary. This gave him an idea.

Projecting an image of himself into the garage, he cast an illusion, erasing the fire from her vision. Startled by the sensory change, Sera stumbled and locked eyes with him. There was a moment of clarity in her vision as she saw him, and she took her chance. “Get rid of the fire!” But then her eyes rolled and she sent fire shooting at where his illusion stood. Whether she could see the fire or not, she could feel it.

“Why aren’t the fire sprinklers going off?” Bruce yelled over the noise as he put out the fire on the desk with a small fire extinguisher.

At this moment two of Tony suits flew in through the exit ramp and began shooting white smoke onto the scene, putting out the fire. It only took a few moments, but as soon as the last flame was extinguished, Sera collapsed onto the ground, her head in one hand, shaking.

“Uh, what the hell was that?” Tony asked.

“I’m really sorry about this, Sera,” said Steve. “This should _not_ ” he looked at Tony, “have been sprung on you like this.”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry about the damage. I...this is something I can’t practice at home. Too dangerous.”

“Dangerous and bad-ass! You can control fire?” Tony asked.

“I can call it but not very well, as you can see.”

“Sera. Come back inside, into the lab. Let’s talk this over and see about setting up some proper training for you” Tony said.

She looked up at him hesitantly, and her eyes darted over to Loki before looking back at Tony.

“Come on. What if there’s a fire at the hospital? We can help you get control.”

She nodded and stood, following Tony back inside, where they were joined by Natasha, Clint, and Bruce, the latter of which started asking her questions right away.

Steve waylaid Thor before he and Loki could leave. “Did you know about this?”

“I did not. But it seems like it went very well! Um, or...not?” Thor said, faltering with the look Steve gave him.

“This was completely unethical. She’s just a civilian and she could have gotten hurt, or actually hurt someone else. Tony’s taking this too far.”

“He just wants to help. His methods may be a bit...creative but--”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Loki interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore of this argument. He quickly made his way back to his room and replayed everything he had seen in his mind.

Laying back on his bed, he closed his eyes and replayed everything since Sera entered the conference room. Her excellent poker face contrasting with her fidgeting hands and feet. Her polite words in opposition with her tempered actions. And especially, _especially_ the look on her face when the fire blossomed into the air. The split second of fear, a look of bracing herself before a complete and utter surrender, the look of ecstasy on her face. He played that moment over and over again in his mind, a smile slowly spreading across his face **.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I know a bullet cant really make a gas tank explode, but if they can do it in the movies...just indulge me, okay? :-P


End file.
